Czech premier says Green Deal can wait while EU fights COVID-19

Andrej Babis, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, on Monday told journalists the EU should forget about the Green Deal now and do all in its power to fight the novel coronavirus.

Babis did not say how the two topics are connected.

Under the European Green Deal, presented in December, Europe will aim to turn into the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Member states which currently rely heavily on coal, like the Czech Republic and Poland, have expressed little enthusiasm towards the plan. In 2018, coal accounted for 49.5% of Czech power generation, while nuclear energy delivered 34%, according to statistics by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The expected economic impact of the coronavirus in Europe could help decrease emissions in the coming months. Specific forecasts are not yet available.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Czech Republic reached 464 on Tuesday.

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!